Gamification as a persuasive art: Unveiling factors hindering student’s creativity

Abstract

Creativity among students is a critical component of effective learning and innovation, yet many educational environments fail to nurture it adequately. Rigid and conventional teaching methods, socio-economic constraints, and a lack of freedom to explore new ideas are identified as significant barriers to student creativity. The overarching goal of this study is to ascertain the underlying drivers of low creativity among students and to examine how persuasive techniques like gamification in learning environments can empower students’ creativity by changing their behaviors. A mixed-method approach was deployed to gather data from a diverse pool of administrators, teachers, and experts. Key responses were scrutinized to highlight the root causes of low creativity and to evaluate the impact of gamification on student behavior and creativity. Various evaluation matrices, including student engagement degree, frequency of creative outputs, and feedback from both students and teachers, were used to quantify the efficacy of gamification. The study found that traditional teaching tactics, socio-economic constraints, and restricted exploration opportunities are primary factors contributing to low creativity among students. Expert opinions indicated that gamification, with its persuasive power, has a positive impact on student behavior, promoting creativity and enhancing effective learning. The analysis revealed that gamification substantially inspires students to elevate their creativity by providing an interactive and thought-provoking learning space. This approach also proved productive in developing critical and innovative skills like problem-solving. The findings recommend that gamification has the potential to revolutionize effective teaching by fostering creativity among students through behavior influence. To achieve a high degree of creativity, incorporating gamified elements into teaching practices is essential. Future research should investigate the long-term influence of gamification on creativity by identifying and deploying specific game-based elements most effective in various educational contexts.